Former Wigan Athletic striker ignores Alexander Arnold, names Ola Aina as best right back in Premier League

Former Wigan Athletic and Super Eagles striker, Julius Efosa Aghahowa, has ignored Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold to name Ola Aina as the best right back in the Premier League this season, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nottingham Forest have been rejuvenated in the English top-flight this season, and are third on the league table, six points behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

For a side that have been engaged in a relegation battle over the past two seasons, staying in the top four is a massive over-achievement and Ola Aina has played a massive part in that.

The Chelsea Cobham Academy graduate has featured in every league game for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side this season and has been brilliant in defence and attack, scoring two goals. He’s also helped Forest keep nine clean sheets in the league this season, the most of all the teams in the English top-flight.

Aina’s performances have caught the eye of former Super Eagles striker, Aghahowa, and the ex-Wigan Athletic man named the Forest defender as the best right-back in the league this season.

“This season so far, the best right-back in the Premier League is Ola Aina. You see him on both ends he’s effective in defense and attack,” the former Bendel Insurance forward said in quotes revealed by Brila.

Nottingham Forest FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC – Premier League Ola Aina of Nottingham Forest is under pressure from Son Heung-Min of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground in Nottingham, United Kingdom, on December 26, 2024. Nottingham Nottinghamshire United Kingdom PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xMIxNewsx originalFilename:fletcher-nottingh241226_npsYB.jpg. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

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Despite Liverpool’s brilliant run of form in the Premier League season, Forest have been the only team to have beaten the six-time UEFA Champions League winners.

Of the 70 teams to win 40+ points from their first 20 games in a Premier League campaign (prior to the 2024/25 season), only four have failed to finish inside the top four at the end of the season, hinting the City Ground faithful can dream of finishing in the UEFA Champions League spots for the first time in over three decades.

Forest could move closer to the number one spot on the league table if they can secure three points against Liverpool at the City Ground next Tuesday.

This post was last modified on January 9, 2025 8:50 pm

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

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